We’ve all said something like, “I want her body” at one time or another. While it may be a fantastic thought, it’s not going to happen. Every one of us has a different body shape, so while your body maybe a pear shape, your dream body may have an hourglass shape. While we might not like our body shape, we can make the most of it and maybe even turn a few heads along the way!

Your Body Type

Thanks to a wonderful thing known as genetics, everyone is born with a different body type (shape).

Pear – Pear shaped bodies usually have bigger thighs and hips than most people. They tend to gain most of their weight below the waist area.

Hourglass – Hourglass shapes, generally have an athletic body. They are wider at the shoulders and narrower at the waists. Most of this shape’s weight can be found all over the body, but specifically in the chest and hips area.

Apple – Apple shapes tend to be larger on the upper part of their bodies. Their stomachs and chests are larger, while their hips are smaller. They tend to gain weight around their stomach.

Ruler – Ruler shaped bodies are very thin and have a linear appearance. Their waists, hips and shoulders are all narrow and they tend to have very little body fat. When they do gain weight it’s usually found around their stomach area.

Your Shape’s Workout

Because of your body’s shape and genetics, it is almost impossible to change your body’s natural shape. We can however, improve it with specific exercises catered towards your body’s shape.

The Pear Workout - If you have a pear shaped body, then you will want to focus your workout on your lower areas. Try workouts that consist of cardio such as walking, light jogging and dance. To balance out the upper part of your body, try strength training exercise to build up muscle in your arms and shoulders.

The Hourglass Workout – If you have an hourglass body you can try both cardio and strength training on both your upper and lower part of your body. Swimming, biking and dancing are all great exercises for your body type. Depending on your goal, you can use lighter weights to build a little muscle or heavier weights to build a lot.

The Apple Workout – For apple bodies, you should stick with cardio workouts and focus on the upper areas to get rid of the weight. Don’t forget to work on the lower body as well, by strength training to help balance the upper areas. Try climbing stairs and running or leg presses.

The Ruler Workout – If you have a ruler body, your lucky enough to do whatever exercises you enjoy doing the most. If you have weight around the stomach area, try a cardio workout such as, kickboxing or something as simple as jogging, but keep it to a minimum. If you really want to shape your body, focus on strength training instead.

Once you know your body’s shape, don’t limit yourself to the exercises above. The above are only a few ideas of the different types of exercises you can focus on for your shape. Make your workout work for you, but have fun doing it!

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